Self-driving vehicle inquiry launched by Transport Committee

The Transport Select Committee has launched an inquiry into the development and deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles.

It is particularly interested in receiving written evidence looking at the likely use of the technology with cars, commercial vehicles and public transport, as well as how research and trials in the UK and abroad are progressing and the potential implications for infrastructure, both physical and digital.

It is also wanting further information on the regulatory framework, including the legal status of connected and autonomous vehicles, and the approval and authorisation processes.

Furthermore, it will examine safety and perceptions of safety in terms of the technology, including the relationship with other road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and conventionally driven vehicles, and the role of Government and other responsible bodies, such as National Highways and local authorities; and potential effects on patterns of car ownership, vehicle taxation and decarbonisation in the car market.

Evidence can be submitted until August 22.

The Transport Committee inquiry has been launched in the wake of the Law Commission of England and Wales publishing a paper seeking views on the need and options for regulating remote driving on public roads. 

Technology that enables an individual to drive a vehicle from a remote location already exists today – operating in controlled environments such as warehouses, farms and mines, it says.

However, the new paper considers how the existing legal framework applies to remote driving on roads shared with other road users.